Otakaro is celebrating the completion of the City Promenade on Sun 25 November.

Walk, bike or trike the City Promenade anytime between 10am and 4pm. Hunt out the answers to 10 simple questions, and go in the draw to win $10,000 worth of prizes, including a $5,000 Discover Travel voucher!

Abstract: Dr Dewi Fortuna Anwar has researched and written widely on Indonesian foreign policy, ASEAN, the Indo-Pacific concept (from an Indonesian perspective) and Indonesian politics. In her talk she will focus on the Indo-Pacific concept and the current state of play with Indonesia and ASEAN.

Speaker bio: Dr Dewi Fortuna Anwar is the Sir Howard Kippenberger Visiting Professor in Strategic Studies for 2018. She is a Research Professor at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and was the Deputy Chairman for Social Sciences and Humanities from 2001–10. She was Deputy Secretary for Political Affairs from 2010-2015 and from 2015 to 2017 as Deputy for Government Policy Support to the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia. She is also the Chair of the Institute for Democracy and Human Rights at the Habibie Center, and a member of the Board of Advisors, the Institute for Peace and Democracy, the Bali Democracy Forum. Anwar was a member of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters (2008–12), a member of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission (WMDC), based in Stockholm, and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, ANU, Australia.

Christchurch’s Festival of Transitional Architecture (FESTA) kicks off on Friday, bringing more than 50 events to the city centre.

FESTA is a local event bringing together architectural installations and eating experiences.

For your guide to what to do while FESTA is on take a look at these highlights:

Headline Event: FEASTA!, 5–11pm, Sat 20 Oct: Mollett Street, FREE, Live for one night only. Free and open to all, FEASTA! will fire up your appetites and imaginations with family activities, music, performance, art, imaginative installations, markets, bars, pop-up restaurants and lots of great things to eat and drink. Rain date Sunday 21 October. For more information, visit here.

‘Ladies, a plate?’, Mon 22 Oct from 12:30-2pm, Space Academy Join food historian Dr Joanna Cobley, Adjunct Senior Fellow, History, and Kākano Cafe founder and director Jade Temepara as they discuss the myths and legends behind the somewhat peculiar term ‘Ladies, a plate’ – past and present – in this session hosted by Dr Erin Harrington. Ingredients, technology, and the role of food in identity and culture will all be thrown in the mix. Free event

Waste to Taste: Repurposed Free Food, 9am–4pm, Fri 19 Oct: How can surplus, waste and empty space become a source of free food? Kairos Free Store redistributes surplus food from cafes and eateries to those who need it. When you combine hungry people in the community, quality food that is otherwise wasted and passionate people who want to make a difference – something beautiful is bound to happen.

Biking Bee Adventure, 10am–1pm, Sun 21 Oct: On Sunday, Ōtākaro Orchard is running a Biking Bee Adventure, exploring various food production locations in the city. Starting 10am at The Commons on Kilmore St, the tour aims to showcase the importance of pollinators, including bees, to our ecosystem, and help create pollinator-safe infrastructure. The trip ends at New Brighton Community Gardens, on Shaw Ave.

Closing night event: From Seed to Palate, 6–10pm, Mon 22 Oct: The festival will close with the screening of SEED: The Untold Story, a film about where food comes from and how food production is changing. In association with the Food Resilience Network, Southern Seed Exchange, the film will screen on the Ilex Cafe lawn, in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, at 8.30pm on Monday October 22. For the little ones, Wall-E will screen at 6.15pm.

In preparation for start-of-year, here’s a rundown of what’s taken place, what’s coming up and an introduction to some new materials designed to support our new and returning students:

International Enrolment | Whakamanuhiri mai – We’re welcoming all new and returning international students to campus this week, with International Enrolment in Person sessions running from Thursday 7 – Friday 15 February.Find out more>

UC Orientation Day | Herea tō waka – With one week to go we are looking forward to welcoming our new students to campus next Friday 15 February from 9.30am – 2pm. For most new students, family and whānau, O Day is their first true exposure to university life, and their experience on the day will set the scene for their time here. We hope the day will set the foundations of academic success and connection with our UC community.Find out more>

Welcome Centre – International students can come and get help printing any documents they need for enrolment. Students can also get help with enrolling in courses, sorting out their timetable, and can find out what services UC provides. Domestic students can also register for their Community Card, which makes general practitioner visits free and lowers the cost of other medical services.

A new slide pack has also been developed to play on a loop at the Welcome Centre. It highlights a variety of services on campus and tells students where they can go online to find out more information about each. Stop by the Welcome Centre on the first floor of the Matariki building to find out more.

Student handbooks – Three new student handbooks have been developed to help students navigate their waka at UC:

UC Study – Provides information and guidance to help students succeed academically. Features services like LEARN, the Academic Skills Centre, Disability Resource Service and mentoring.

UC Student Life – Illustrates the variety of opportunities to get involved and find something geared towards a student’s specific interest. Highlights services like UC Rec & Sport, UCSA and clubs and societies.

Copies will be distributed to new students on O Day. Electronic versions of the handbooks can be downloaded HERE.

Staff and student referral guide – This helpful guide has been revamped to include additional services offered to both students and staff. While it is still primarily student-focused, staff members can now use it themselves for services such as Communications and Events, Media, Marketing, Design and the Canterbury University Press (CUP). Additionally, services such as IT, printing and copying and the Library have been added to help make students’ lives easier, along with a campus map highlighting the locations of some key support services.

Copies of the new referral guide will be distributed at the Staff Forum on Wednesday 13 February.

O Day | Herea tō waka video – An engaging video detailing a few of UC’s key services will be played on a loop around campus to help familiarise new students with the resources we offer to help them succeed. Check out the video here:

New Students webpage – New students can find all of the information they need on the New Students webpage. On the page, new students can download the new student guides, find information about their first six weeks, review the Code of Conduct and find information about support services.